1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a geometric puzzle and more particularly a puzzle having blocks which are movable about a common focus. More particularly this invention concerns a modified 2.times.2.times.2 block puzzle having additional movable blocks which are secured in groups to groups of the 2.times.2.times.2 block puzzle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Geometrical puzzles of the type known as a "Rubik's Cube" have achieved outstanding commercial success. The Rubik's Cube comprises a 3.times.3.times.3 cubical block having 26 visible blocks and having six exposed faces, each face having nine exposed square block surfaces. In the Rubik's Cube, the central square of each face is permanently, pivotally connected at the end of the three mutually perpendicular mounting axes which intersect at the geometric center, or focus, of the cube. The movement of a Rubik's Cube involves nine of the blocks on any one face or eight central blocks between opposed faces. The object of the Rubik's Cube puzzle is to restore a predetermined block arrangement after the face blocks have been randomly arranged.
A related geometric puzzle is the 2.times.2.times.2 cube having eight blocks and having six exposed faces, each face having four square block surfaces. The movement occurs by rotating all four blocks on one side of a central plane. In a 2.times.2.times.2 geometrical puzzle, one of the eight blocks is rigidly secured to a central spherical core and the other seven blocks are slidably retained by appropriate connections to the spherical core. The 2.times.2.times.2 geometrical puzzle has the same object as the Rubik's Cube 3.times.3.times.3 puzzle, namely, to restore a pre-determined block arrangement after the face blocks have been randomly arranged.
The popularity of the 3.times.3.times.3 cube and the 2.times.2.times.2 cube puzzles suggests that perhaps more complicated geometric puzzles are desirable to challenge puzzle enthusiasts and to provide beneficial learning experiences.